Campus News

Earth Week lineup has something for everyone

By DAVID J. HILL

“It’s impressive to see students, faculty and staff join our community partners in planning multiple activities that celebrate our accomplishments while encouraging conversations around what more we can do to ensure a better a future through sustainability.”

Ryan McPherson, chief sustainability officer

A celebration lunch and awards ceremony, a talk on microbeads in
the Great Lakes and a guest lecture from a former JPMorgan
executive are among the nearly two-dozen events happening on and
around campus for Earth Week 2016. The slate of activities began
over the weekend and continues through Saturday.

“These events again demonstrate the commitment and hard
work by divisions and departments across campus who not only work
together to coordinate these opportunities, but also strive to
advance sustainability every day through their areas of
work,” says Ryan McPherson, UB’s chief sustainability
officer.

“It’s impressive to see students, faculty and staff
join our community partners in planning multiple activities that
celebrate our accomplishments while encouraging conversations
around what more we can do to ensure a better a future through
sustainability,” McPherson adds.

Among the week’s highlights is the Distinguished Lecture
Series hosted by UB RENEW (Research and Education in eNergy,
Environment and Water) and featuring John Fullerton, founder and
president of Capital Institute, a non-partisan think tank launched
in 2010 by the former JPMorgan managing director.

Fullerton’s talk is titled “Reimagining Capitalism:
Transitioning to a Regenerative Economy.” It will take place
at 4 p.m. Friday in the Center for the Arts Screening Room, with a
reception to follow. Register and learn more here.

Other Earth Week signature events are listed below. Visit the UB
Sustainability website
for the full lineup and more details. Note that some events require
pre-registration and that spots may already be filled.

Today (April 18):Earth Week Celebration Lunch and
SLICE Awards (RSVP required), noon-1:30 p.m., Crossroads
Culinary Center. What better way to kick off Earth Week than with
lunch and a timely talk? This event will feature Sherri Mason,
professor of chemistry and biochemistry at SUNY Fredonia,
discussing the causes and impacts of microbead pollution in the
Great Lakes. As part of the event, four Sustainability Leadership,
Innovation and Collaborative Engagement (SLICE) Award winners will
be announced. The SLICE Awards honor outstanding individuals and
departments committed to sustainability on campus.

Monday-Saturday:AquaConscience art exhibition,
opening reception: 6-8 p.m. Monday, Project Space, Center for the
Arts. This year's theme centers around a critique of human
impact on oceanography and marine life. Topics range from the
effects of over-fishing and ocean acidification, to addressing the
consequences of plastic pollution, offshore drilling and the death
of coral reefs and other marine life.

Wednesday: ELFS Recognition and Sustainability
Social, 3:30-5 p.m., 210 Student Union. Hosted jointly by UB
Sustainability and Career Services, this event will begin with
UB’s first class of ELFs (Educational Leadership Fellows in
Sustainability) sharing results of two projects they’ve been
implementing this semester — Green it Forward and UBReUse
— followed by a “360 Dialogue” with student
leaders and sustainability professionals about shared experiences
in becoming change agents and leaders. The ELFS program is a
project of President Satish K. Tripathi’s Change Agents
Scholars Initiative. Students also will have the opportunity to
network with local professionals about career paths and internship
opportunities.

Bonus event: Stop by the Student Union patio between 11
a.m. and 2 p.m. on Wednesday and try a free “solar
smoothie.”

Thursday: Earth Week Bull Ride, noon
(registration begins at 11 a.m.): Think “Slow Roll
Buffalo.” This lunch-hour event encourages the UB
community to take part in a 4-mile bicycle “fun ride”
along the Ellicott Creek Trailway. Participants also can practice
putting their bike on a UB Stampede bus. Download
a map of the ride.

Friday (Earth Day): In addition to the aforementioned
RENEW lecture with John Fullerton, Alpha Kappa Chi, UB’s
professional environmental fraternity, is hosting a benefit from 5
to 10 p.m. at Pearl Street Grill and Brewery in Buffalo. Tickets
are available online or at the door. Proceeds benefit the Western
New York Environmental Alliance and Designing to Live
Sustainably.

Bonus event: At noon on Friday, there will be a climate rally
at the Student Union.

Saturday: The annual Riverkeeper Spring Shoreline Sweep
happens from 10 a.m. to noon, with more than 40 locations to choose
from. Visit the Buffalo Niagara Riverkeeper website to sign up or
learn more.

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